Optometrists in Iowa
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$92,811
after federal, FICA and Iowa tax
Tax takes
$32,569
26.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$104,555
Iowa costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Iowa — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$125,380
Kept after tax
$92,811
Worth in national money
$104,555
State rank
39
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Iowa is among the lower-paying states for optometrists. The middle earner takes $125,380, ranking 39 of 51 states — about 8.19% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Locally, this pays well. Among 493 occupations Iowa reports, optometrists comes in at 18 — comfortably in the upper quarter.
- Cheaper living works in this state's favor. From $125,380 you keep $92,811 after tax, and local prices stretch that to the equivalent of $104,555 at national prices. Here the average runs under the middle, at $123,250.
- Iowa ranks 39 of 51 for optometrists, with a median of $125,380 — about 8.19% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Optometrists ranks 18 of 493 occupations by median in Iowa, in the top quartile. Within-state position is largely independent of national position, so this holds regardless of how the state compares to others for the same work.
- Retained pay in Iowa is $92,811 after the full tax stack, from $125,380. Because the state's price level runs below the national average, the price-adjusted equivalent is $104,555 — a real-terms figure describing purchasing power rather than compensation, and not a number that appears on any pay stub. Mean pay of $123,250 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
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Pay band: Optometrists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $73,660 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $125,380 |
| Top tenth earn over | $175,460 |
| This salary | $125,380 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Iowa | $92,811 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $96,963 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$4,773 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $119,375 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$6,786 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 89 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $125,380 as a midpoint for Iowa, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $73,660 and the ninetieth is $175,460 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- That $92,811 take-home in Iowa comes from $125,380. It is the no-frills case: single filer, standard deduction, nothing set aside before tax. Real circumstances almost always reduce the tax. City and school-district taxes are not counted at all. Locally the work ranks 18 of 493.
- The wage data and the price data come from different years. That is how each is published. The price adjustment behind $104,555 uses one figure for the whole of Iowa. A city and a rural county there can differ by more than two states do. Out of 493 occupations the state publishes, this one sits at 18.
- The Iowa median of $125,380 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $73,660 to $175,460. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Retained pay of $92,811, from $125,380, assumes a single Iowa filer with the standard deduction and no elective deferrals. Pre-tax retirement or HSA contributions, dependants and itemized deductions all reduce it further; local income taxes, excluded here, would increase it in the states that levy them. This occupation ranks 18 of 493 locally, and the state ranks 39 of 51 for it.
- Wage and price series carry different reference periods, each published on its own schedule. The real-terms figure of $104,555, worked from $125,380, deflates by a statewide parity that conceals substantial intra-state variation, concentrated in housing — so it supports comparison between states rather than the pricing of a move to a particular Iowa address, on work sitting at 18 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $73,660 at the bottom tenth to $175,460 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $104,555.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Iowa then takes its own share, leaving $92,811.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($73,660) and the ninetieth ($175,460) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Iowa's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $104,555 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $92,811 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Iowa income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.